


Uniform

by randomcheeses



Series: Family [6]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: Alternative Timeline, Drama, Family, Gen, Gen Fic, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-18
Updated: 2010-08-18
Packaged: 2017-10-11 03:44:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomcheeses/pseuds/randomcheeses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ed is not wearing the uniform. Ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Uniform

“No!”

“Edward-”

“I’m not wearing this. It’ll make me look like a dork!”

“Of course it won’t,” Roy lied through his teeth, as he held up the offending article of clothing. But, he reflected while Ed attempted to squirm away, the boy was probably right. There were only a few select people who could make the uniform of Central Military Academy look good and Roy suspected, that like himself, Ed was not one of them.

“How come I have to wear it, anyway?” Ed demanded. “Al doesn’t have to.”

“Because Al won’t be attending the academy this year. But you are, so please,” Roy paused and looped the tie around Ed’s neck, “just be still and try on the dam- er, dratted uniform.”

“This collar’s way too tight,” the eleven-year-old whined. “Feels like you’re strangling me.”   
  
Roy rolled his eyes. _Oh please, don’t tempt me._   
  
“I shouldn’t have to go to the stupid academy either,” Ed complained as Roy pulled the tie straight. “Everyone will be older than me. Miss Riza says the other first years will all be thirteen or older.”   
  
“When you were a state alchemist, your colleagues were generally a decade your senior,” Roy replied. “I’m sure you’ll be able to manage just fine in a class full of teenagers. You have more than enough intelligence.”   
  
Ed made a face. “I can’t remember being a state alchemist. And anyway, Al’s smart too,” he pointed out with childish cunning. “So he has to come as well. Right?”    
  
“No,” Roy said firmly. “You’ll only be two years younger than your classmates. Al would be three years behind everyone else. It’s too big a gap.”   
  
Ed scowled and pulled at his navy tie. Roy sighed and pulled it back again. “Stop fidgeting with it, Ed. It’s fine.”   
  
“It’s too tight. I can’t breathe!”   
  
“Edward, if you don’t stop messing with your tie, I’ll, I’ll . . .” Roy trailed off, shaking his head in exasperation. Several threats had suggested themselves, but they were either too violent, or involved telling someone else about his ward’s bad behaviour. Mostly Izumi or Riza.   
  
The trouble was, Roy thought, that if Edward’s good behaviour was constantly achieved by using his fear of someone else instead of appealing to his (theoretical) respect for Roy, then Ed would never truly listen to him. Furthermore, the last thing he wanted was to have to frighten Ed into obedience.

Ed had never had true reason to be afraid of him when he was Roy’s subordinate and Roy certainly didn’t want to give him one now. His new relationship with the young alchemist required him to earn Ed’s respect and trust. You couldn’t properly care for a child if they didn’t trust you.  
  
Roy was brought out of his distracted thoughts by the sound of Ed muttering mutinously. “This is stupid,” the boy was saying. “Stupid tie, stupid fancy shirt with stupid gold buttons, and I hate the stupid haircut. You let her cut my bangs. I look just like Al. It’s all stupid.”

He sighed. _You’re plotting a revolution in your spare time, Roy, _he admonished himself. _Coming up with a way to stop one child from complaining about a uniform should not be beyond your capabilities. You should not be completely out of ideas!_   
  
Well okay, that wasn’t quite true, Roy admitted to himself. One idea had occurred to him, but unfortunately, its success hinged on exposing himself to ridicule and he really wasn’t all that keen on being laughed at by an eleven-year-old.   
  
Roy took hold of Ed’s shoulders. “You stay right there,” he ordered in his most serious voice. “I’ll be right back.” He went to leave the room and then stopped. “And leave your tie alone,” he added as an after thought.   
  
Ed stuck out his tongue.

###

Roy found what he was looking for at the very bottom of his wardrobe, where he’d hidden it after his foster-mother had threatened to find an alchemist to make copies of it, so that she could have one in every room.   
  
“Right,” he said, returning to Ed with his prize. “You think you’re the only one who ever had to wear something uncomfortable? You think you look silly? Take a look at this.”   
  
Ed took the photograph from Roy and gave it a cursory glance. Then his eyes widened and he burst into a fit of giggles. “Your hair looks really stupid!” he crowed in delight.   
  
“Well thanks Ed, I love you too,” Roy said dryly. But when he looked at the picture of himself, he privately admitted that Ed was right. His hair was far too short, due to the academy’s rules about personal appearance, and his earliest attempt to have it look attractively tousled had just created a spiky mess on the left side of his head. His uniform shirt being tucked tightly into his pants to stop it flapping around his thin frame didn’t help. Neither did the fact that he was wearing the particular expression that Maes persisted in referring to as ‘Roy’s dorky-face’.   
  
Roy became aware that Ed had stopped laughing himself sick and turned his attention to the boy. To his surprise, Ed was blushing hotly and taking an intense interest in the floor.    
  
“What’s the matter with you?” he enquired. “Laughing at my youthful mistakes not interesting enough for you?”   
  
“Nrring,” Ed mumbled.    
  
“What?”   
  
“Nothing. I think you’re okay. So does Al,” Ed said, biting his lip and making an obvious effort to look Roy in the face.   
  
“I’m . . . glad you think so?” Roy said carefully. “Any particular reason you’re telling me this?”   
  
Well, you said that you um, um . . .” Ed trailed off, red to the roots of his hair.   
  
“What . . . oh,” Roy realised. “Ah, I was just joking, Edward,” he explained, and then hastily tacked on “but I am very fond of both you and Alphonse, of course,” when he saw sudden hurt in the boy’s eyes.   
  
“Yeah, well, you’re okay,” Ed repeated grudgingly. “I guess.”   
  
“How magnanimous of you.”   
  
“Shtp.”   
  
“What was that?”   
  
“Nothing,” Ed said quickly. He went back to inspecting the photograph. “Is this guy beside you Mister Hughes?”   
  
“Yes, that’s him. Well done.”   
  
“His glasses are the same,” Ed explained loftily. “So how come you look silly in the uniform and Mister Hughes looks good?”    
  
“’Why do’, not ‘how come’,” Roy corrected. “You know, to be honest, I never figured out how he did it. Some people just have all the luck. Now, there’s a jacket around here somewhere to go with your shirt and tie. We’ll see how that looks as well.”   
  
“Aww, no! This is so _stupid._”

###

“Yo, Roy!”   
  
“Oh God,” Roy groaned as Hughes stuck his head through the open back door of Roy’s kitchen. “It’s Sunday. My day _off. _Is just half-an-hour’s break too much to ask?”   
  
Hughes looked taken aback. “Er, thanks? What crawled up _your_ trousers and died?”   
  
“An academy uniform,” Roy muttered in exasperation. “Sorry Hughes. I’ve had an irritating day. Also, I’ve figured out why the brass put up so little fuss over my having guardianship of the first people to ever achieve the feat of de-aging themselves.”   
  
“Oh yeah?” Hughes said with interest. “Why’s that, then?”   
  
“Clearly,” Roy answered, “they have figured out my plans to become Fuhrer and toss them out on their worthless asses. Thus they have devised a plan of fiendish cunning. By giving me custody of Ed and Al, they’re trying to ensure that I’m too tired and aggravated to even think straight. Another month of this and I’ll be in hospital recovering from exhaustion.”   
  
“So, I’m guessing this isn’t the best time to tell you about how parenting is a worthy and rewarding experience?”   
  
Roy groaned again. “Whatever I did to deserve this,” he declared to the air, “I’m sorry!”   



End file.
